- Leadership lacks the technical depth needed to make informed decisions, leading to poor planning and inefficiency.
- Many managers exert authority over technical matters without understanding the work, causing friction and poor decision-making.
- The hiring and promotion process favors “leaders of leaders” rather than those with strong technical expertise, compounding the problem.
- A culture of misplaced pride in homegrown solutions, even when they are poorly designed or maintained, makes meaningful improvement difficult.
- Many long-tenured engineers lack awareness of their own skill gaps, leading to resistance to better solutions and an echo chamber of mediocrity.
- Engineers’ insights are often ignored or overridden by leadership focused more on optics and process than real technical quality.